From 26 February 2026, certificates of entitlement to the right of abode in the UK will be issued as a digital record. The Home Office has made the Immigration (Certificate of Entitlement to Right of Abode in the United Kingdom) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 under section 10 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, made on 3 February and laid before Parliament on 5 February.
The instrument defines a digital certificate of entitlement and creates the mechanism to link it to a passport or travel document through an online UK Visas and Immigration account. The digital certificate has effect only in relation to the passport to which it is linked, establishing a clear requirement to keep document details aligned.
Two issuance routes are set out. Certificates may continue, where appropriate, to be affixed to a passport as a vignette, or be created as a digital record. For holders with a valid vignette issued before 26 February 2026, the Secretary of State may issue a corresponding digital certificate without application, enabling continuity during transition.
The Regulations clarify where to apply. Applications are made to the Secretary of State in all cases, with an alternative of applying to the Lieutenant‑Governor where the applicant is in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. This replaces the earlier list of overseas authorities set out in the 2006 Regulations.
Document standards at application are tightened. The passport or travel document submitted must be in date, not cancelled and not reported lost or stolen. This codifies checks that were previously carried out administratively and is intended to reduce erroneous or duplicate certificates.
Expiry and validity rules are updated for each format. A vignette ceases to have effect when the passport it is fixed in expires. A digital certificate ceases to have effect if it is not linked to a valid passport or travel document, but can resume once it is later linked, unless it has been revoked.
Digital holders must keep their record current. The Regulations require updates to personal information connected with the certificate and set age‑based intervals for refreshing the photograph: at least every five years while under 16, and every ten years from age 16 until age 70 or on becoming a British citizen.
Revocation grounds are expanded to support the digital model. In addition to existing grounds, a certificate may be revoked if the holder fails to keep the information connected with their digital record up to date. The instrument also ensures that issuing a digital certificate under the transition provision does not, in itself, invalidate an existing vignette.
For users, the practical change is from document replacement to account maintenance. Home Office guidance confirms that updates to link a new passport and upload a new photograph will be free, removing the need to re‑apply and pay each time a passport changes and providing a single, reusable digital status.
Policy teams and frontline practitioners should note that the evidence route remains unchanged in law: a British citizen passport, a British subject passport showing right of abode, or a certificate of entitlement now commonly issued in digital form. UKVI guidance explains how the digital record can be accessed, managed and shared when required for travel, right to work or right to rent checks.